This invention relates to a method of producing pasta and particularly to pasta which is rapidly rehydratable for consumption and which when so rehydrated has a desirable "al dente" eating texture. It also relates to pasta produced by the method. Such pasta may be in the form of tubes such as straight or elbow macaroni, noodles, spaghetti, vermicelli or other pasta shapes.
Conventionally pasta is made by mixing wheat flour or durum semolina and water. The product shape is formed by extrusion of the mixture through a die and the product is then dried under controlled temperature and humidity. Typically drying has been for six or more hours at temperatures of up to 75.degree. C. and relative humidities up to 85%. This slow drying has been necessary to prevent cracking and checking in the product. Such products may be rehydrated by cooking in boiling water for any time from about ten minutes to twenty minutes. Prior to this cooking, that is prior to when the product is prepared for eating, the protein and starch of the product remain essentially in their natural states and no denaturation of the protein or gelatinization of the starch occurs until it is cooked. When conventional pasta (e.g., spaghetti) is cooked it is often thought desirable to cook it to a texture or state, usually referred to as "cooked to al dente", at which it is not soft but instead presents some resistence to the teeth to give it a degree of chewiness. When cooked to this "al dente" texture the pasta product throughout much of its body or bulk exhibits mainly denatured protein and gelatinized starch, but in a central core or zone a substantial amount of denaturized protein and ungelatinized starch remains.
A specific aim of the present invention is to provide a pasta product which can be rehydrated in a period of time much shorter than that required for rehydrating conventional pasta and which product after rehydration includes a central core or zone containing a substantial degree of denatured protein and ungelatinized starch giving the product an "al dente" texture.